Insidious
by eza.xo
Summary: "This is more terrifying than watching Hiccup falling into the blistering flames of the Red Death's destruction, of knowing he would lose his entire world if he was not fast enough." When Hiccup is gravely ill, it's up to Toothless to save his human before time runs out for the both of them.
1. Insidious

A/N: This is my first ever HTTYD Fanfic, and was actually quite a struggle to get out. I'm looking at perhaps expanding this into a multi chap story, depending upon the response I get, so if you could be lovely and leave a review and let me know what you think, that would be fabulous. If I do expand this, it will feature elements from the first movie and the Dreamworks Dragons TV series, so there could be spoilers for both. Thank you, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Since my homework is not ash, let's go ahead and assume I don't own Toothless.

Toothless had always known his human was fragile and required protection but he never doubted his own ability to provide that until the day Hiccup got sick.

It started small, as most things do; while walking to Gobber's workshop early one morning, Hiccup somehow managed to trip getting out of bed, walk into his doorframe and into every single person they met along the way. This was not entirely unusual, given Hiccup was prone to bouts of clumsiness, particularly since the addition of his metal leg. Beyond a deep, chuffing dragon-laugh, Toothless took no notice of his rider's incidents and the day carried on as normal.

And like a weed left unattended, the problem grew until it could no longer be ignored. Days of stumbling, collisions and rubbing at his forehead as though he were trying to scrub something away descended into disjointed rambling, alternating hot and cold spells until finally one morning Hiccup just didn't get up. The sun rose, and Hiccup did not; the village awoke and began their day and Hiccup did not, no matter how much Toothless nudged and crooned. His skin is pale and sweat soaked, far too hot for a human and his skinny chest rises and falls in rapid, shallow breaths.

The window is open and despite the heat of his skin, Hiccup shivers and moans pitifully. His covers are strewn on the floor; Toothless carefully drags them up over his boy, nudging them in around his sides so that the chill air won't get in. Fear slides icy fingers along his spine, for this is not a wild Dragon to be frightened away by a show of teeth, talon and fire. Nor is it Snoutlout, who can be convinced to leave Hiccup alone by a liberal application of a narrow eyed glare. This is nature; mercilessly ravaging his boy's body, an enemy Toothless cannot fight or scare away, a battle in which he cannot participate. This is more terrifying than watching Hiccup falling into the blistering flames of the Red Death's destruction, of knowing he would lose his entire world if he was not fast enough. This is watching Hiccup suffer, and being helpless. This is worse than the thought of never flying again, when he'd been stuck in that thrice-damned cove and looking at a future devoid of the sky.

"Hiccup? Sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm, you aren't still sleeping?"

The voice is familiar, as is the light tread of boots on the stairs and Toothless has never been so overjoyed in his life. Blonde hair and blue eyes and Toothless is a Dragon but Astrid has never looked so wonderful. He cannot bring himself to leave Hiccup's side, but he croons a greeting, and perhaps it is the way he is pressed so close to the bed he is almost sitting on it, or perhaps it is the fact that Hiccup does not stir at the call of his name, but Astrid covers the distance to the bed in a heartbeat.

"Hiccup!" She presses her hand to Hiccup's forehead, and he seems to rouse a little at the touch, but the moment is soon gone and he subsides into fitful sleep. "He's burning up. We should get Gothi, and Stoick." And Astrid sounds as frightened as Toothless feels; Astrid who laughs in the of danger, or screams at it and attempts to bash it with the nearest weapon. Toothless looks between Astrid and his boy, trying to still the thumping of his heart through sheer force of will. A Dragon is fearless and strong, and he is no hatchling to whimper and cry.  
But Hiccup is his best friend, the other half to the soul Toothless never even contemplated having, and he smells like death.


	2. Firevein

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed this! You're all amazing and I love you, so here's chapter two.

It takes a remarkably short amount of time for Stoick to arrive. The burly Viking Chief barrels through the doorway so quickly Toothless thinks he might have gone through the wall if necessary. For all the man's gruffness, he is gentle as he brushes Hiccup's hair back from his forehead. Hiccup opens glassy eyes, and it is something other than Stoick he sees, something he seems to find terrifying. He cries out, the sound sharp and painful to Toothless' sensitive ears and begins thrashing on the bed.  
"Hiccup! Son! Calm down." Stoick reaches for the flailing limbs, but Hiccup is deaf to his father's words and the touch only seems to incense him further. Toothless reacts almost without thinking; he leaps over the bed with the grace of a cat, teeth bared as he places himself between man and boy.

There is a moment where Stoick's face flushes red and anger moves through his eyes; Toothless briefly worries about being sent away. Who will watch over Hiccup if not him? Hiccup is _his _boy, his to care and protect, and no one else's. But the moment passes and Stoick suddenly looks old and tired. His shoulders are bowed, seemingly by a great weight, and there is something heartbreaking about a warrior brought so low. Hiccup is special and it is hard to watch him suffer and so when Stoick holds his hand out, Toothless retracts his teeth and presses his nose into the Chief's palm.  
This is a grief they share.

"Alright, Toothless, alright."

Gophi arrives, trailing Astrid and Gobber behind her, and the moment between man and Dragon is ended. She shuffles into the room, and Stoick looks relieved so Toothless thinks that maybe Gophi is here to fix his boy.  
"How is he?" Astrid is wringing her hands and as Toothless watches she reaches up to brush her fringe back twice, nervous gestures wholly unlike her.  
"Not good, he won't let me near him. Gophi, what is wrong with my son?" Stoick says, his gravelly voice cracking a little on the last word. Gobber thumbs the Chief's shoulder with his good hand, a gesture that seems strange to Toothless yet appears to help some as the Viking straightens his shoulders.

There is a thump and a groan behind them and they turn as one to see that Hiccup has somehow managed to throw himself from his bed. He is sprawled on the floor, shivering in the cold.  
"Always the centre of attention, eh Hiccup?" Gobber quips as he and Stoick make an attempt to lift the boy. But Hiccup avoids his father's touch as though it burns him, and Gobber's prosthetic hand seems to cause him no small concern. Toothless moves carefully closer, reaching out to brush his nose against Hiccup's cheek.  
"Careful, Toothless." Astrid's whisper comes from somewhere behind him and he hesitates, but ultimately reaches out regardless. The touch is whisper soft and as tender as a dragon can possibly accomplish. Hiccup flinches violently and something in Toothless shrivels. Toothless has not seen Hiccup flinch from him since their very first meeting and it hurts something deep inside to see it now. The noise that involuntarily escapes is perilously close to a whine.

And Hiccup stops.

His eyes are still a little wild, his skin flushed by fever, but he is for the moment really _looking_ atToothless. Curious, Toothless shuffles closer while being careful not to step on his prone human and croons softly.  
"H-hey buddy," Hiccup's voice is so soft even Toothless' sharp hearing has trouble picking up on it. But Toothless doesn't care, because _there _is his Hiccup, and everything is a long way from okay but it is so much better. He does not want to waste a single moment of this lucidity. He wants to be right there where Hiccup needs him, so Toothless curls around his human, bodily shoving Stoick out of the way as he does so. He nudges Hiccup until the boy is tucked firmly into the curve of his body and Toothless is acting as both an impromptu bed and a blanket.

Hiccup does not try to speak again, and settles back against Toothless with a tiny sigh. Slowly his shivers begin to abate and he closes his eyes. Gophi takes this opportunity to step forward. She is careful when she touches his boy and so Toothless allows her to continue. Hiccup seems to be asleep and he does not react to the examination. She feels his skin, opens his mouth and looks inside (for what purpose Toothless does not _want _to know), and forces his eyes open to look at them.  
"Well? What's wrong with him?" Stoick interrupts, clearly impatient. Gophi pegs him with a quelling look and if Hiccup weren't so ill, Toothless might be amused at the way the burly chief seems to shrink. The examination carries on for a moment or so more and then Gophi steps away. She takes a handful of dust from a pouch on her belt and spreads it on the floor. The humans crowd around the old woman and Toothless wants to see but wants to leave Hiccup less. The room is silent but for the scratching of Gophi's stick in the sand. When she is finished, she leans heavily upon her walking stick, and there is something pained about the look on her face. Gobber leans down to read the words and the usually optimistic Viking looks suddenly grim and Toothless feels his heart rate double.

"Firevein." Gobber whispers the words in the same manner one might say a curse, or the name of an enemy so feared that to speak too loudly might draw them. The name means nothing to Toothless, save for the way it is spoken.  
"Oh, Gods no." Astrid brings trembling hands up to her face, looking torn between vomiting and crying. Stoick says nothing, but the way he drops his face into his hands and releases a long sigh says enough. Astrid comes to kneel beside Toothless, cupping his jaw in her hands.  
"Oh, Toothless, I'm so sorry." Her eyes are doing that watering thing humans do when they are sad and when she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his nose, Toothless knew they had a serious problem. Hiccup sighs and shifts closer and Toothless cups a wing around the boy, hiding him from sight.

He does not understand; the name of this illness means nothing to him, and yet the humans act like there is no hope. Toothless pulls his head away from Astrid's hands, ignoring the way she's trying to cover up the moisture in her eyes. Gobber places an oddly gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, drawing her away from Toothless and his human. Stoick replaces her, his armour creaking as he settles down at eyelevel with Toothless.  
"Firevein is...It's not curable, Toothless. No one has ever survived it." Stoick sounds as though the words cost him greatly. His voice is so roughened with emotion, his accent so thick, Toothless almost doesn't understand. When he does, Toothless snarls, curling himself impossibly tighter around Hiccup and pressing his nose against the boy's cheek. There are no words for the emotions he feels, far more complex than he has ever experienced. He feels as though he is being torn apart, and the high pitched keening noises he makes are completely involuntary.

They are saying his human is dying.

A/N: Next up for Insidious - Dragons often know more than humans think. Could Toothless have the answer to save Hiccup?


	3. Toothless Flies Again

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed! Thanks so much for sticking with me so far, everyone. In particular, thank you to those of you who have left guest reviews, as I cannot send you personal replies but I promise I love you regardless. So here we are with another chapter.

Word spreads quickly around the village. Toothless endures the parade of visitors purely because Stoick asks it of him. Hiccup was returned to his bed and moved downstairs, leaving him to curl up beside it. He rests his head upon Hiccup's legs and refuses to move it. If these are his last moments with his boy, he will waste none of them. Stoick seems unable to stay in the house, while Astrid never leaves. She does not cry, but sits silently in a chair close by, staring at her axe as though it holds the answers.

The rest of the Academy are the last to arrive and Toothless can see their Dragons outside, all trying to look through the front door at the same time. Stormfly jostles her way to the front, poking her head inside and trilling softly, but he ignores her. He has no interest in anything, anymore. His world has reduced to the slow rise and fall of Hiccup's chest. Fishlegs is the only one to openly cry, making no attempt to wipe the tears away. Snotlout is a dark, brooding presence at Fishlegs' shoulder; he looks as though the universe has wronged him somehow.  
"Okay, so the jokes over, right?" Tuffnut is the first to break the silence. Astrid comes off her chair so fast Toothless is almost interested, briefly switching his gaze from Hiccup to the group of teens.  
"Does this _look_ like a joke to you?" Astrid snarls, sounding so fierce any Dragon would be proud.  
"Oh, come on Astrid! This isn't even funny. Hiccup can't die, he's...Hiccup. _Duh_." Ruffnut snipes, leaning forward into Astrid's face.

Toothless stops listening then.

They don't understand, stupid Vikings. He buries his nose in Hiccup's side, inhaling deeply of his human's scent. It is not the comfort he is expecting, the smell of sickness and ash covering the unique scent that is Hiccup.

Ash?

It hits Toothless so suddenly he is almost staggered by it; he knows this scent. Hope flares so bright and hot in him it is painful. He can _save _Hiccup, all he needs is to fly. He lifts his head from the bed and stares across at the Viking teens. Astrid has Ruffnut's hair twisted around one fist while the other holds her axe below Tuffnut's chin.  
"Hiccup is _dying _and you two-" Astrid's voice is low and venomous, cut off suddenly when Toothless growls. Everything stops as they all turn to look at him and Toothless is struck by the impossible task of communicating with these humans. Hiccup doesn't always understand straight away, but he always gets there eventually, and Toothless somehow doubts it will be the same with his friends. Toothless brushes his nose against Hiccup's hand one last time and then bounds gracefully over the bed. It is remarkably easy to nudge the group outside, his insistent prodding at Astrid's legs enough to get her moving and the rest follow.  
"So, what's up with Toothless? He's acting, like, weird." Ruffnut and Tuffnut seem to have forgotten Astrid's violence with Toothless' interruption.  
"I don't , what is going on?" Astrid still looks like she would like to murder the twins, but her confusion wins out. Toothless is happy to take advantage of her puzzled compliance; now that he knows what to do, his wings almost ache with the need to fly. They haven't enough time for all this human posturing.  
"Maybe he wants to show us something? Dragons are very sensitive, you know." Fishlegs offers, his face now dry of tears.

Outside, the other Dragons are clearly excited by the arrival of both their humans and Toothless. They crowd in close and though Toothless prefers his space, he allows it because this next part requires their coöperation.  
Toothless is about to kidnap a human.

Meatlug is the first Dragon to get close, no doubt wishing to offer her own form of support. However, when she gets close to Toothless her nose twitches and with a growl she rears backwards.  
"Whoa! Steady, girl!" Fishlegs is quick to react to his Dragon's distress and soon the others are forced to do the same. Hookfang gets one whiff of the scent lingering on Toothless and promptly sets himself alight. Barf and Belch get tangled while each head is trying to scratch their back at the same time. Stormly flares her spikes and shakes herself all over, as though trying to get something off.  
"What's wrong with them, Fishlegs?" Astrid shouts over the cries of the different Dragons.  
"I-I have no idea!" Fishlegs is on the verge of panic, and Toothless realises he has to act _now. _

Hiccup showed his friends the basics of Toothless' tail and he has flown with Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs before. Astrid or Snotout is the best choice for what he has in mind, and Toothless decides almost immediately that he would prefer Astrid. Fishlegs is simply too nervous flying at great speeds and Snotlout doesn't listen. Toothless releases a tiny plasma blast that strikes the ground in the midst of all the chaos. Everything stops, and Toothless walks up to Astrid and bumps her with his side. He hasn't the time to figure out a way to explain where they are going or what they are doing; all he needs to do is to get Astrid to mount.  
"Toothless, what? We can't go flying now! Hiccup is…" She doesn't finish her outburst and there is an almost strangled quality to her voice. Toothless ignores her objection and nudges her again, gesturing at his saddle with an impatient noise. Astrid tries to walk away and Toothless follows, blocking her escape.  
"Um, I think he's pretty serious, Astrid." Snotlout offers, his usual arrogance seemingly put aside for the moment.

Still the stubborn Viking refuses, and Toothless is just beginning to get frustrated when Stormfly steps in. The Nadder scoops her rider from the ground, carefully gripping the back of Astrid's clothing in her mouth and unceremoniously drops the girl on Toothless' back. Toothless doesn't pause, doesn't give Astrid enough time to dismount. He spreads his wings and with one powerful push from his legs, he is rocketing skywards. Astrid screams, surprised by the speed of the takeoff and clings desperately to the handles of his saddle. There is a dizzying moment where Astrid fails to engage his tail and Toothless thinks they are going to fall, but finally she seems to realise she is literally trapped. She can either work the tail, or they can fall to a rather nasty end.  
"Stupid, Gods-cursed Dragon!" Toothless hears the sharp click of the foot pedal, and then his tail opens with a _snap _and they are away. He turns effortlessly in the air and sets off west at a pace faster than he's ever flown before.

_Hang on, Hiccup. _He thinks as Berk fades into a tiny speck in the distance to be eventually swallowed by the horizon.

A/N: Next up for Insidious...Toothless and Astrid run into unexpected trouble and time is running out for Hiccup.


	4. Mosstastic

**A/N:**Welcome to chapter 4, folks! Thanks so much for sticking with me so far! So, I'm really sorry I haven't replied to everyone's reviews this time around. I've had a really busy day, so I thought you would probably prefer a chapter to a rambling review reply from me. Still, every single one of them is appreciated and I'll hopefully reply to them all soon! Also, I do apologise if this chapter is a little short and lower quality than the others; this one really fought me for some reason! Anyhow, on with the show! Regarding everything below, a lot of it is heavily borrowed information from the HTTYD wikia, mixed with my own ideas. The cure, such as it is, and how it works will all be explained in the following chapter. :)

The island comes up suddenly; open ocean abruptly giving way to the small slice of land. White sandy beaches surround sheer cliffs, though much of the island is covered in thick forestland. The scent of wild Dragons is heavy on this island and he can distantly see one of the Small One's flying above the forest. A Nightmare swoops down from the north, quickly disappearing amongst the trees.  
Toothless dives down, flying low and swift across the water. Astrid is sluggish to respond with his tail, nearly resulting in an impromptu swim and he thinks of Hiccup with longing. They are not boy and Dragon when they fly, they are one being.

"Toothless, I hope you know what you're doing!" Astrid is shouting, but even so the wind snatches at her words. It is the last she says as they continue their approach, likely because she has noticed the amount of wild Dragons. They cling to the cliff faces, lounge on the beach and as Toothless gets closer, they can see the shadowy movement of Dragons in the trees.

Toothless lands just short of the forest; the trees are tightly packed and dangerous for flying. He is confident that alone or with Hiccup he could easily navigate the trees, but his fondness for Astrid does not extend into that same blind trust.  
"What _is _this place?" Astrid whispers, sliding down from the saddle. Toothless huffs at her and moves forward into the trees. He folds his wings tight to his sides to avoid scraping them. He is getting one of those headache things humans always complain about. The smell of ash, overlaid with the mix of several Dragon breeds, is overwhelming to his nose. He remembers stumbling upon this place many moons before he met Hiccup. Most Dragons find their way here at one time or another - it just took Toothless a little longer.

Toothless leads Astrid to a clearing and they pause at the very edge. The same Nightmare they had seen flying over the island is occupying the space. Astrid backs up, crowding close to his side, but Toothless is unconcerned. The other Dragon is so busy he fails to notice their arrival. The Nightmare is covered in small spots and raised welts; he scratches at a spot on his shoulder, and it is clear the welts are a result of his talons. The Nightmare stops gouging at his scales and turns his attention to a red-brown moss growing thickly on a tall stone. He scrapes it onto the ground and begins rolling in it, smearing it across the worst of the marks. When the Nightmare is satisfied, he walks away into the trees and Toothless relaxes. The other Dragon would likely have proved no problem, but he is relieved it is gone regardless.

Toothless bounds ahead into the clearing and runs a circle around the same stone the Nightmare had scraped the moss from. He feels ridiculous, but humans are remarkably silly and he doesn't know a better way to communicate what he wants.  
"Toothless, what are you…" Astrid trails off, frowning thoughtfully at the stone. She kneels where the Nightmare rolled, scraping a small amount of pasty residue left behind on one finger. It is the same colour as the moss, likely squashed by the mass of the Dragon. Astrid brings the substance to her nose and sniffs delicately, promptly recoiling at the nasty odour.  
"You think this will help Hiccup?" She asks doubtfully, wiping the noxious substance on the grass with a distasteful curl of her lip. Toothless huffs impatiently; he doesn't think, he _knows _this will help. The moss is useful for many things, known to Dragons specifically for that reason, and it only grows on this island. The island is covered with wild Dragons and he somehow doubts they will all be of the friendly variety.

And he has a human to save.

Astrid seems to take his impatience as answer enough. She shrugs and takes out her boot knife, using the blade to scrape the moss from another rock. It is thick and clumps together, rapidly filling the small pouches she wears on her belt. She looks up when they are full, and Toothless nods and gives her that weird mouth-thing he copied from Hiccup that means happy. He thinks that should be enough, given Hiccup is so small.

He is just beginning to feel thankful at how easy this had all been when he smells another Dragon. There is a thunderous crack and he barely moves in time as a tree lands precisely where he had been standing. Toothless dives for Astrid just as she leaps for him and the girl nimbly climbs back into the saddle. The Dragon they face is as big as a Typhoomerang, legless and balanced upright on a thick, strong tail. Sharp, spined wings spread outward so far they take up most of the clearing, which explains the downed tree. It snarls and Toothless returns with a defiant roar. He will not be intimidated by an overgrown _snake._  
"Timberjack!" Astrid clicks the tail and though Toothless would like nothing more than to show this Dragon who is superior, he launches upwards. They barely leave the ground when the Timberjack whips one of its giant wings in their direction. Toothless dives back to the ground, hearing the whistle of the razor sharp appendage as it passes over their heads. Toothless fires a plasma blast before Astrid thinks to ask, deliberately aiming close to the tail. The other Dragon shrieks as it is blown back several feet, hitting a tree hard enough Toothless almost feels sympathetic.

He wastes no time in taking tor the air once more. Not for the first time, he is thankful for his ability to take off so quickly. They are clear of the trees and just reaching the open sky when Toothless hears a hissing sound just to his left. Then there is an explosion and for a moment all Toothless sees is the world spinning wildly. His ears are roaring and distantly he can hear Astrid screaming. He rights himself in the air with some difficulty; he feels a little scrambled and everything aches.  
"Toothless, the moss!" Astrid cries out, and when he looks he sees her belt pouch falling back down to the clearing and the waiting Timberjack. He is sore and his vision is still a little funny, but he is not leaving without the moss. _For Hiccup, _he reminds himself, and dives after the pouch. The Timberjack is faster than Toothless expects; it spits embers at them before they can move again. Toothless has just long enough to wonder at the point of that before they explode. For a second time in as many minutes, Toothless is treated to a dizzying view of the world. There is a bright flare of pain and then -

Darkness.

**A/N: **Next up on Insidious - Someone on Berk has something to say regarding our missing Nightfury and Viking and we check up on Hiccup.


	5. Inadvisable Escapades

**A/N:**Back with another chapter! It's really thrilling to see everyone who's enjoying this story. Thanks to everyone who's favourited, followed and reviewed so far! Also, I have most of the story drafted out, so I know where I'm going. However, if there's anything any of you would like to see happen, either in this fic or in the next one I publish, please feel free to let me know and I'll do my very best! Also, I hope everything is a little clearer after this chapter.

His head pounds and his mouth is dry. He feels like he's been sat on by a Gronckle. Even the ends of his hair hurt. Which he thinks might be impossible, but he'll swear to Thor its true as of right now. His eyelids are heavy and it's exhausting prying them open; when he does, he is greeted to a flesh coloured blob wavering precariously above him. It's a disturbing enough sight that he doesn't really think before he reacts. He yelps in a distinctly embarrassing manner and flails an arm that feels too heavy. He strikes something fleshy and soft, hears an answering cry,  
"Ouch! Hiccup, what was that for?" Hiccup blinks bleary eyes, rubs at them when they refuse to clear and then stares at his 'assailant'.  
"Oh...Fishlegs? It's you. Sorry." Hiccup clumsily pats his friend's arm, and then looks around his room for Toothless. Except, he is not in his room. He is downstairs, and missing a Nightfury. "Where's…And why am I…?" Hiccup looks questioningly at Fishlegs, who simply looks bemused. The silence stretches on, and Hiccup huffs impatiently.  
"Fishlegs?" He prompts and the other Viking blinks.  
"What? Hiccup, you didn't finish your question." Fishlegs waves his hands, somehow looking both confused and frustrated. Hiccup spends precious minutes trying to remember if he'd finished his question or not. He had - in his head, at least. Hiccup gestures meaningfully at the empty space.  
"Oh! Well, Toothless is...Um...Not here right now!" Fishlegs is still a bad liar, shifting nervously on his feet and looking everywhere but at Hiccup. Even feeling like his brain is slowly melting, Hiccup still notices. He decides not to bother questioning his friend; he has an errant Dragon to locate. He throws the blankets aside and slides to the edge of the bed.  
"Uh, Hiccup? I don't think you should be getting up." Fishlegs looks alarmed, watching while Hiccup fumbles his prosthetic into place.  
"I'm...I'm fine." Hiccup waves him off, but Fishlegs ignores his protest. He reaches forward to restrain the smaller boy just as Hiccup stands.

And promptly hits the floor.

Hiccup lies prone for a moment, utterly bemused. His legs had folded instantly and he feels somewhat betrayed. Also sore - who woulda guessed wooden floors hurt so much?  
"I told you! Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me?" Fishlegs gets one hand under Hiccup's arm and hauls him upwards. He obviously intends to put Hiccup back to bed, but he resists. He thinks he's probably slept enough, for now. His legs are wobbly like a newborn calf, but he makes up for this by leaning heavily against his bed. Fishlegs carries on a muttered conversation with himself, watching mutinously as Hiccup battles to stand.  
"Fishlegs! Where…" Hiccup pauses; his chest feels tight and like he can't breathe enough, which makes speaking difficult. "Toothless?" He shuffles towards the front door and is uncomfortably reminded of the last time crossing this space had been so difficult.

"Well, no one really knows…" Fishlegs all but mumbles the words as Hiccup swings open the door. Meatlug and Stormfly doze together just outside the house and Hiccup almost trips over them. Hiccup looks around, but even with his vision being funny, he can't see Astrid. Strange, because she is almost always with her Dragon, in much the same manner Hiccup is never far from Toothless. He stumbles away from the door, setting up enough noise to wake both Dragons. Meatlug immediately moves to Fishlegs, but Stormfly drops her nose to nudge Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup pegs Fishlegs with a questioning look and the bigger boy shrugs uncomfortably.  
"Toothless kinda...Kidnapped Astrid? Stormfly helped! They left together and no one knows where they went or when they'll be back and _I'm sorry _but what were we supposed to-" Fishlegs waves his arms wildly about his head, looking on the verge of hyperventilation. Meatlug abruptly ends his tirade by swiping his face with her large tongue, apparently taking pity upon Hiccup's long-suffering look.

Snotlout and the twins arrive just as Hiccup cups Stormfly's chin in both palms, gazing seriously in the Dragon's eyes.  
"Hey, what's Hiccup doing up? I thought he was, you know…" Snotlout asks awkwardly, flicking a look between Hiccup and Fishlegs.  
"_Dying._" Tuffnut all but shouts, covering his mouth with one hand as though to keep Hiccup from hearing. Ruffnut elbows him in the gut and Tuffnut collapses with a soundless 'oof'.  
"I'm _fine._" Hiccup mutters, ignoring all of them as he runs gentle fingers across Stormfly's nose. The Nadder inhales as he does so and seems discomfited by something she smells. She pulls her head back and a shake passes across her entire frame.  
"Steady, Stormfly." He whispers, and she settles down once more. If she'd helped Toothless "kidnap" Astrid, then she must have known where Toothless planned to go. It's the only explanation that makes sense to him. But Astrid only knows the basics on using Toothless' tail, and they could be in real danger.

"Feel like...Going for a…" It's hard to grasp at thoughts and speaking is particularly difficult. He feels like the words are floating away before he can catch them. Without realising it, he has stopped talking and is now staring vacantly at the patiently waiting Nadder.  
"Uh, Hiccup doesn't look so good." Ruffnut points out, waving her palm in front of his face. It works to snap him out of his stupor and Hiccup wearily presses a hand to his forehead.  
"Fly?" He finishes, as though he'd never stopped talking. Hiccup moves to Stormfly's side and spends a moment looking at her back as though it is an insurmountable object.

Had she always been this tall?

Under the bemused and highly concerned gaze of his peers, Hiccup scrambles onto Stormfly's back.  
"We're going...After Toothless. And Astrid." He announces, right before he slides right off the other side of Stormfly's back. He is launched into a coughing fit as the dust stirred by his landing chokes his breathing. Stormfly is obviously concerned by the development, chirping worriedly as she eyes him. Four heads lean around Stormfly's shoulder to join the Dragon in observing his struggle.  
"Hiccup is _definitely _not okay." Fishlegs decides, nodding as though he has made some great discovery.  
"What _is _that?" Snotlout says at the same time, pointing at Hiccup. They all crowd closer to stare at the raised red lump on the back of Hiccup's neck.  
"Nothing...Just a bug bite." Hiccup grumbles as soon as he has the breath, hauling himself painfully upright once more. The twins shrug it off and Snotlout seems a little underwhelmed by the true nature of his discovery. Fishlegs, however, frowns thoughtfully.  
"When did the bug bite you?" He asks, leaning forward to probe at the lump despite his Hiccup's protests.  
"I don't know. A few...A few days ago...Maybe?" He is tired again, his body heavy and clumsy. He wants to find Toothless and Astrid, make sure they are safe. But getting on Stormfly's back again seems impossible, let alone actually flying anywhere.

Fishlegs is tapping his chin and pacing back and forth. Hiccup finds the motion even more tiring to watch; he sighs and concedes defeat, plopping down on the front step of his house.  
"A bug bite...A few days ago...And you first started behaving strangely a few days ago. Coincidence?" Fishlegs turns to his not-so-avid audience. Ruffnut and Tuffnut have taken their helmets off and are trying to bludgeon each other with them. Snotlout is arguing with Hookfang - or, more appropriately, shouting at the Dragon while he simply looks bored. Hiccup is almost dozing, his eyelids drooping without his permission. Meatlug moves to check on the boy, sniffing at his hair. She nudges Hiccup gently, and then her nose strays a little too close to his neck. With proximity to the bite, Meatlug immediately leaps away, growling and shuddering. It is enough to startle Fishlegs and to wake Hiccup.  
"Guess Dragons don't, uh….Don't...Like this bug, either." Hiccup comments vaguely, his mind having a little too much trouble keeping up with everything.  
"I've never heard of a Dragon getting Firevein, and there's nothing like it in the Book of Dragons. But Meatlug knew what that bite was. She smelled it." Fishlegs strokes Meatlug's nose as he talks, calming the agitated Gronckle.

"Hey, wasn't Toothless acting weird before he left?" Snotlout has apparently finished his discussion with Hookfang, the blackened streak on his helmet a testament to who won. "I dunno, like he had his nose near Hiccup, then he started being all weird and stuff." Snotlout takes his helmet off and attempts to wipe the soot away with his sleeve.  
"Okay, so the Dragons know what the bug is, and they don't like it…But it doesn't make them sick." Fishlegs surmises, scrubbing his hands over his face. "This doesn't make any sense!" He complains, the frustration in his voice enough to have Meatlug licking at his face.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup is losing the battle to stay awake, which he thinks is probably strange, given he is supposed to be dying and this conversation could be important. "I need…" He pauses, takes a deep breath, tries to gather the scattered threads of his thoughts. "I think the Dragons might know where Toothless went. I need you to find him. Please. He could be in trouble." He finishes in a rush, pathetically thankful he manages to string proper sentences together.  
"Hiccup, what if you…" Fishlegs trails off, unable to finish his question, though they probably all know what he's referring to. Hiccup rouses himself enough to smile gently at his friend,  
"I'll be fine. But...Toothless is what's important." His reassurance seems enough to satisfy his friends, and Hiccup is almost sorry for the lie. Truthfully, he has no idea how much time he might have, but he feels as though his body is shutting down. Privately, Hiccup worries he might not have as much as his friends are hoping for.

"Alright! Let's go find us a Nightfury!" Snotlout is jubilant as he scrambles into Hookfang's saddle, and after briefly arguing over which helmet belongs to which twin, Ruffnut and Tuffnut do the same.  
"We'll be back." Fishlegs says, obviously forcing a smile and then the five Dragons are away, with Stormfly in the lead.  
"And I'll be here...Maybe." Hiccup watches them until they fade into the distance and disappear entirely. He remains sitting outside for far longer, as the village starts to waver in his vision.

It is hours later when Stoick comes home to find his sick son sitting outside, having a conversation with a Nightfury that isn't there.

**A/N:**Next on Insidious...So the Academy is off to the rescue of Toothless and Astrid, but will they get there in time? More importantly, will they make it back in time to cure Hiccup? And what exactly is the deal with this Timberjack?


	6. I've Got Your Back

**A/N:**Sorry this chapter is a little late, my loves! My writers muse decided not to play nice, but here we are with the next installment! Thanks to everyone who has followed the story so far, and to everyone who has reviewed and favourited. Each one is appreciated.

"Toothless!" The call is slow to penetrate the darkness. Everything hurts, from his nose to his tail and Toothless wants nothing more than to go back to sleep.  
"_Toothless!" _The tone rises to a painful shriek; the panic is enough to jerk him into consciousness. He opens his eyes expecting the clearing and is momentarily bemused by the chaos he sees instead. He lies in a ruin of severed trees, some of them so close it is a miracle he wasn't crushed. The clearing itself has at least doubled in size; the outer edges hewn away, no doubt, by the Timberjack's razorwings. The ground vibrates with another explosion, startling him into movement. The Timberjack is coiled around - oh, _no _- Astrid's beltpouch, facing off against the Viking herself. Astrid's hair is mussed with strands escaping from the braid and a cut on her forehead bathes one side of her face in gore.

He extricates himself from the pile of fallen trees, ignoring the twinge of bruised muscle and fires a plasma blast. The blast goes wide, clipping the top of the other Dragon's wing and punching a hole in one of the few trees still standing. The Timberjack is momentarily distracted, hugging its injured limb close and Toothless leaps forward. They haven't the time to dance around - Hiccup needs the cure now. He hits the beast in a body tackle that takes his breath as much as his enemy's. Together, they roll several feet and Toothless' world is reduced to the flash of talons and teeth. Astrid dives for the pouch as soon as they are clear of it, clutching it in one fist and moving clear of their scuffle.

He fights the urge to spread his wings for balance, not wanting to risk coming up against the Timberjack's wings. The other Dragon is bigger with a wingspan far exceeding his own and the fight is brutal. For every strike Toothless gets, he feels an answering blow somewhere on his own body. He rakes his claws down the Timberjack's neck and the answering shriek is almost deafening. The distraction is enough for the Dragon to work his wing between them. The wicked sharp edge bites deep into Toothless' shoulder and he roars as hot blood flows immediately, throwing himself back. One sweep of a massive wing is enough to send him flying several more feet. He strikes the base of a broken tree hard enough to momentarily stun him. Sensing victory, the Timberjack lunges, and perhaps that might have been the end of the Nightfury.

"Hey, you!" Astrid backs her cry up with a heavy branch directly stiking the Dragon's jaw. The wood shatters on impact and sends the Timberjack staggering sideways.  
"Why don't you pick on someone else, you overgrown snake!" The teen faces off against the larger Dragon, with only her boot knife for a weapon. Toothless struggles slowly to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. He stands beside Astrid, wings slightly spread and teeth bared. His shoulder is minor and though it pains him, he is willing to ignore it. They are wounded and outmatched, but neither of them are willing to give up.

It happens so suddenly, Toothless takes a second to react. The green gas seems to just appear; it billows around the Timberjack's feet and explodes in a great fireball just as the beast notices it.  
"Alright! I totally taught them that." Tuffnut pumps the air with his fist as Barf and Belch wheel over the clearing. Stormfly is the next to appear, showering the other Dragon's back with her deadly spines. She immediately drops down to stand protectively in front of Astrid. Hookfang and Meatlug are the last to appear and it takes only a warning shot from Snotlout's Dragon to convince the Timberjack it is out-flamed. The wounded Dragon takes to the air clumsily and is soon gone from sight, leaving the Academy and their Dragons to land safely.

"Astrid! Toothless! Are you alright?" Fishlegs looks fit to burst a vein when he lays eyes upon his wounded friends. He produces a reasonably clean scrap of cloth from Thor knows where, offering it to Astrid. Astrid presses it to her head wound, wrinkling her nose as she pushes her fringe away from the bloody mess. She strokes Stormfly's nose with her other hand, soothing her worried Dragon.

Snotlout slides down from Hookfang and flashes his customary grin,  
"Good thing me and Hookfang showed up, eh Astrid? You and Toothless were doomed!" He crows triumphantly, flexing his biceps as he speaks. Astrid looks vaguely disgusted and Toothless snorts, completely unconvinced. He'd had everything under control, after all.  
"He's kidding, right? We totally kicked that Dragon's butt! Well, I did anyway." Tuffnut exclaims, thumping his chest meaningfully. Ruffnut digs her elbow into her twin's ribs, doubling him over. She opens her mouth, probably intending to blast her brother, and Astrid hurries to interrupt.  
"What are you even doing here? How'd you know where to find us?" She asks, leaning her head against Stormfly's.  
"Hiccup told us!" Snotlout responds, the 'duh' left unspoken. Toothless perks up immediately, looking around for his Viking.  
"Hiccup's...Okay?" Astrid asks, unconsciously dropping her hand to the pouch that hangs at her belt once more.  
"Sort of. He woke up, after you two left. He has this weird bite on the back of his neck, he said he got it from a bug. We thought maybe Toothless knew what the bug was, so he knew how to help." Fishlegs looks uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting from foot to foot. Toothless listens avidly to the conversation and nods his head when the Vikings all turn to look at him. He leans over to nudge Astrid's beltpouch with his nose and Astrid hands it over to Fishlegs without complaint.

Fishlegs rubs a pinch of the moss in between his fingers and raises it to his nose to smell it.  
"I remember reading about this in my botany book. Dragons have been known to use it to relieve itching from Firemites." Toothless can't help but jump in place a little - they're _getting _it! Fishlegs looks from him to the moss in his hands and his eyes suddenly widen.  
"Of course! _Firemites!_" He exclaims, clearly confusing the rest of the group. The Dragons collectively shudder, save for Toothless, who cannot contain his excitement.  
"Firemites? Never heard of 'em." Snotlout scoffs, leaning casually against Hookfang's side.  
"Firemites are like...Dragon fleas. They're parasites. Their venom leaves-" Fishlegs straightens up, his tone turning lofty as he begins explaining.  
"Red bumps?" Astrid interrupts, leaning forward in her excitement. Fishlegs looks a little deflated, but nods.  
"Yes, exactly. They're quite itchy and uncomfortable. And that's for a _Dragon. _They could do anything to a Viking…" Fishlegs trails off, and even Snotlout looks like he's starting to get it.  
"Like give him Firevein?" Astrid whispers, her own eyes wide. Fishlegs nods, looking thunderstruck by the realisation. Toothless croons his agreement, his whole body wriggling. They _know, _so now they can go save Hiccup.

The Vikings leap into motion, the Twins a little behind the others; with answers suddenly comes new purpose and they're all eager to get back to Berk, and their ailing friend. Astrid strokes Stormfly's nose one last time and then moves to climb into Toothless' saddle. Toothless has all but forgotten his shoulder, now and he feels his heart thumping double time in excitement. This terrible nightmare is almost over and soon Hiccup will be better and his world will be -  
"Oh, Toothless _no._" Astrid sounds horrified and Toothless is startled from his blissful thoughts. Her hands cover her mouth, her eyes wide as a full moon above them. The others have stopped in the process of mounting up, their expressions varying degrees of disappointment and horror. Toothless follows their gazes and feels his whole body droop with shock.

His prosthetic tail is nothing but shredded and mangled parts. He cannot fly.

"Can't you just fix it?" Ruffnut asks, sounding oddly subdued. Astrid's eyes have welled with frustrated tears, but she does not let them fall.  
"I'm not Hiccup!" She snaps back, coming around to crouch in front of Toothless. She cups his jaw in her palms, staring deep into his eyes. Toothless almost wishes he was human; if he were human he could cry. Instead, he nudges the girl, pushing her towards a waiting Stormfly.  
"Are you sure, boy? I could stay with you…" Astrid whispers, looking completely torn. Toothless snorts and nudges her again, almost knocking her over with his insistence.  
"Astrid…" Fishlegs looks like his heart is breaking, which is a fair approximation of what Toothless feels himself. "We have to go. Hiccup doesn't have much time." He says the words softly, gently, but they are still like daggers.

Toothless has no wish to stay behind, to wait with his soul balanced on a knife's edge for news of his boy. Even if the cure works and Hiccup gets better, it could take weeks before he is well enough to come back for Toothless. But he wishes even less for the Vikings to be delayed in returning to his friend. He won't allow Hiccup to die because of his own selfishness.  
"We'll be back, Toothless. I promise." Astrid murmurs in an eerie echo of words Hiccup had once spoken. She backs away and scrambles into Stormfly's saddle. The group take to the sky as one unit, wheeling gracefully upwards and out of sight. Unlike Hiccup, Astrid never looks back.

Toothless waits until they are long gone before he roars his frustrations to the heavens above.

**A/N: **Next up for Insidious - so the teens have the cure, but they've had to leave Toothless behind in the process, defenseless and wounded on an island inhabited by wild Dragons. Will the cure work, and will they make it back before Toothless finds himself in more trouble than he can handle?


	7. Of Heirs and Spares

**A/N: **Alrighty! We're nearly at the end guys! Thank you so much to everyone whose stuck with me, and I'm proud to announce I am already looking at uploading my next fic, which I hope you'll all give a looksee. I think we'll probably have one more chapter and an epilogue after this, so I hope you enjoy!

The Dragons fly faster than they ever have before, pushed on by their frantic riders. They arrive at Berk shadows of the beasts that left, wings trembling with exhaustion. The Dragons land heavily in the middle of the village, not so much setting down as falling from the sky. The teens feel much the same, their legs liquefied from long hours in the saddle and they stagger drunkenly as their feet meet land for the first time in hours. Fishlegs is the first to give up and sit down, leaning back against an exhausted Meatlug. Vikings pour out of their homes and the group is quickly surrounded. Stoick elbows his way to the front with Gobber and Spitelout two steps behind.  
"Where have you been? And where is Toothless?" Stoick demands, his voice a shade of it's normal power. The Chief looks gaunt and tired.  
"And what in Thor's name happened to you, Astrid?" Gobber adds, taking in the blood on Astrid's face with raised brows.  
"Snotlout! You picked a bad time to go gallivanting about on your beast!" Spitelout moves past the chief to stand over his son. "You're going to be chief one day! You can't be running off with these…" He pauses and casts a disparaging eye over the teens, "Children."

Snotlout visibly shrinks before his father's gaze while several villagers mutter at Spitelout's words. Stoick scowls heavily, but makes no comment.  
"Now see here, Spitelout!" Gobber, however, is not so quiet. He shoves past Stoick and places his bulky form between the Viking and his son. "Hiccup is not dead and unless that changes, he remains future chief." Gobber's usually cheerful countenance gives way to an almost bestial snarl and is enough to have Spitelout backing up.  
"Of course, of course. But Hiccup has Firevein and no one has ever survived it. We need to be prepared." Gobber looks ready to tear into Spitelout, a dark flush creeping over his face and Astrid chooses that moment to interrupt.  
"We found one!" She shoves her way in between the two Vikings and she smiles up at Stoick's shocked face. "Well, Toothless did. We found a cure for Hiccup, but we have to hurry! Toothless broke his tail fin and we had to leave him on the island." She explains in a rush, taking the pouch from her belt and offering it to the Chief.

"There is no cure for Firevein!" Spitelout snaps immediately, reaching out as though to snatch the pouch from her hand.  
Stoick reaches for the pouch at the same time as Gobber moves to intercept Spitelout. Astrid gasps it is snatched from her, and by none other than Snotlout. The brawny youth hefts the bag in his hand a moment and then tosses it underhand to Stoick.  
"Hiccup might be really lame, but he's still my friend." He says, his face unusually serious. He pegs his father with a level stare, Hookfang sliding up behind his master in a manner that is blatantly protective.  
"I don't want him to die. I don't care about being chief." Snotlout holds the stare a moment longer, his gaze only shifting when Stoick drops a hand to the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you, Snotlout. We must get this to Gophi immediately! And pray to Odin this works." Stoick turns away before his facade can crumble, feeling his heart kick up into double time. A chance to save Hiccup…

"Ridiculous! There is no cure for Firevein! If there was, we would have found it long ago!" Spitelout makes an abrupt, slashing motion with his hand. "We can't place our hopes on- whatever that is! Hiccup is dyi-" Spitelout gets no further. Stoick is upon him so fast the rest of the village is left stunned. Astrid stumbles backwards, bouncing off of Fishlegs, who crashes into the twins. Snotlout shrinks back until they are grouped tightly together, watching wide eyed as Stoick lifts Spitelout onto his toes. The Chief twists one hand in the slightly shorter Viking's vest and leans in until they are nose to nose.  
"My son is not dying. This will work. And if you value your life, Spitelout, you'll not speak again." Stoick's words are a quiet growl, audible only to Spitelout and the teens who stand so close. He releases the other Viking, only to deliver a heavy blow that sees Spitelout staggering back several feet and landing heavily upon his rear.

Spitelout sits in stunned rage for a moment and then climbs stiffly to his feet; Stoick's face is dark with rage, one hand flexing and Astrid's belt pouch is all but strangled in his grip. He straightens slowly and scowls at the surrounding villagers,  
"Anyone else wish to comment on my son's condition?" He speaks softly and yet there is no doubt of what he is saying. People shift uncomfortably, but no one dares speak, until Fishlegs bursts forth,  
"Can we please hurry up? Hiccup doesn't have time for this!"

Satisfied his point is proven, Stoick spins on his heel and heads for Gophi's house, trailed by Gobber and the Academy.

~x~

An hour later finds Stoick straddling Hiccup's bed, with his son resting in between his legs and resting back against his chest. The boy's hallucinations are the worst they've been so far; he howls and claws at Stoick's grip, his skin flushed and sweat soaked. Gophi sits by the fire, keeping an experienced eye on Fishlegs, who pounds viciously at the moss in a small bowl. Astrid kneels next to Gophi, stirring a bubbling pot that smells noxious. The clacking of the mortar and pestle is drowned out by Hiccup's screams and the Vikings are silent, grim faced. The rest of the academy are ranged around the room and their Dragons fill the doorway.

"Hiccup, hush son, hush." Stoick presses one hand to Hiccup's forehead and flattens the other against his chest. He is oddly perturbed by the way his palm spans the entirety of his son's chest and the fragility of the ribs that push against his hand with every breath.  
"How much longer?" He raises his voice to be heard over the uproar Hiccup is causing, the grimace on his face almost pained. It is a struggle he wishes never to repeat, if this cure works; trying to restrain his delusional child without harming him. Gophi waves a hand at him, which could mean just about anything.  
"Try to keep him calm, Stoick." Gobber offers helpfully and Stoick thinks longingly of smacking his old friend.  
"Because of course I am sitting here for fun." Stoick growls, without actually bothering to try and raise his voice. He casts an uncomfortable glance around the room and then shifts so his back is partially facing the other Vikings.  
"Hiccup," Stoick drops the name quietly in his son's ear, and is stunned when Hiccup's cries die down to quiet whimpering. "You hang in there, my boy. Berk just...Wouldn't be the same without you. The village need you, Toothless needs you. I…" He trails off and his voice sounds oddly strangled. "I need you, son. You make an old Viking proud. You're...Uh..." Stoick looks around at Gobber to see if his friend is listening. Gobber is leaning down to read something Gophi is scratching on the floor. Stoick leans closer to Hiccup's ear, an almost smile upon his lips.  
"You're far better than a talking fishbone...And if you ever tell Gobber I said that, I'll deny it." Gobber had let Hiccup's comment slip in a moment of frustration and promised Stoick to secrecy. He hadn't wanted Hiccup to know his confidence had been betrayed.

For a moment, Hiccup is silent, resting heavily against Stoick's chest. The moment passes quickly and then Hiccup's chest begins heaving, his breath rattling in his lungs.  
"Oh dear, we're out of time!" Fishlegs cries, handing two bowls to Gophi. The old woman hands one to Stoick, and the Chief recoils from the foul scent of the sludge it contains. It is the colour of mud and vaguely resembles the texture of a thick broth. From the other bowl Gophi scoops a thick paste of the same colour. This she spread over the bite wound on Hiccup's neck, coating the skin liberally.  
"Since we don't know how the moss works, we thought we should use it both ways." Fishlegs explains, as Stoick carefully tips Hiccup's head back. The brew is slowly tipped into his mouth, and though at first Hiccup coughs and chokes, he is eventually coaxed into swallowing.

The house falls completely silent, and even the sound of their breathing is muted. Hiccup sags abruptly in his father's arms, like a marionette whose strings are suddenly cut. Astrid inhales sharply, looking as though it takes a serious force of will to not cry out. Stoick's face flushes first red and then goes sickly pale. Panic spreads around the room like wildfire, and just as the Vikings are opening their mouths to demand what is happening, Gophi holds up her hand. She leans forward and thumps Hiccup in the chest once with a gnarled fist. The boy gasps once, drawing in a deep breath and then settles into an easy, normal rhythm. The flush recedes slowly from his skin, and though he still looks ill, the deathly pallor has faded. Gophi nods once and scratches something in the dirt, with Gobber and Fishlegs leaning over her shoulder.

"She says he'll sleep now." Fishlegs reads, a slow grin spreading across his features.

The joyous cry starts first with Stoick and is quickly taken up by the teens and then their Dragons. Soon the entire village joins, and the air all but vibrates with the force of Berk's celebration. Most amusingly, Hiccup doesn't bat an eyelid through the whole thing, although several birds are started into flight and the sheep stampede in the fields.

**A/N:**Next up for Insidious...Hiccup is cured! But how has Toothless fared in the meantime?


	8. And I will Wait

**A/N:**Wow, I can't believe it! This is the last chapter, although I'll likely add an epilogue just for a little extra fluffy. Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has read, favourited, followed and reviewed my very first chapter fic! I am currently working on a second one I hope to begin posting soon, and I sincerely hope it lives up to this one. I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Insidious and you're all fantastic! Please feel free to send me messages with any questions or fic prompts :) I am always happy to chat!

As it turns out, time passes extremely slowly when every minute is lived with the agonising pain of a missing limb. For Toothless this seems twice the insult, since he is missing one both literally and figuratively. He feels heavy and unbalanced without the familiar weight of his prosthetic; he feels like he is dying without the comfort of Hiccup's presence. A week crawls by and he is left to wonder if the moss worked, if the others made it back in time.

Does Hiccup live?

He wonders if they have forgotten him on this island, with only the throb in his shoulder and prickly wild Dragons for company. He has surprisingly little difficulty with the other Dragons. At first, he worries being alone will entice the Timberjack into initiating another fight. He sees no sign of the beast, but makes the decision to stay out of sight regardless. The island offers many great hiding places for a resourceful Nightfury and Toothless makes himself a home in a cave on the cliffside. It's difficult to climb down to and he risks falling every time, but the opening is too narrow for larger Dragons and easily defensible. Hiccup may or may not live, but Toothless will survive until he knows for sure. If he doesn't, then…

He tries not to think about 'then'.

Food quickly becomes a problem and by the third day his stomach cramps with hunger. Climbing down to the beaches is too risky; he might not make it back up and they are too exposed to stay down there. The forest is another risk, with the surplus of wild Dragons but hunger drives him from his cave regardless. Toothless survives on a less than ideal diet of small critters - rabbits, squirrels and anything else he can catch. He craves a sweet, juicy fish and the salty smell of the ocean taunts him every day.

On the fourth day, when all he can think of is the foul taste in his mouth and the pains in his stomach, Toothless rips a huge branch from a tree and draws in the dirt with it. He thinks it might make him feel better, one of the first things he learned from Hiccup. It takes him much longer than the first time he ever tried it. The forest floor is littered with vegetation and the ground is hard where the sand in the cove was soft. When he is exhausted and his mouth aches from gripping the branch, he collapses in the shade and surveys his work. The flora mostly hides the lines and there is no human to dance through the wide loops this time. It is a wholly unsatisfactory result.

Toothless doesn't draw again.

The fifth day shows an improvement in his shoulder. Miraculously the wound has stayed clean and is healing quickly. The ache lessens to a point Toothless can almost completely ignore it. The ache in his soul, however, seems to increase to make up for it. He hates this island in a way he never had before. To Dragons, this place is a sanctuary; very few of them live here, but it is one of the only places the moss grows. It is a place to go when the itching is bad. For him, the island has become a prison and he thinks he might resent this particular slice of land for the rest of his long years. He spends the day curled up in the mouth of his temporary home. The horizon, brilliantly lit with the setting of the sun, taunts him. Berk and Hiccup are somewhere out there and Toothless hates the ocean for standing in his way. Worse, he bitterly resents his handicap. He flicks his tail around in front of his nose and levels the missing half with a baleful glare. He'd honestly forgotten what it feels like to be...less. With Hiccup, his broken tail is almost a blessing, turning his boy from a passenger into a partner. Now…

By the time a week has passed, Toothless still watches the horizon every minute he doesn't spend hunting food. Something in him refuses to give up; he feels like Hiccup is alive, forces himself to believe it despite how much time has passed. The alternative is unthinkable, and it has nothing to do with whether or not he could fly without his boy. The sky would seem a hollow, empty place without Hiccup. His stomach growls a warning and Toothless forces himself to abandon his vigil. He scrambles up the side of the cliff, his distraction almost costing him a nasty fall. He is careful and quiet as he moves through the forest; his ear plates are constantly twitching, listening carefully for the tiny sounds of forest critters. He's listening so closely for hard to detect sounds that the sudden roar echoing throughout the trees is deafening. His ear plates slam flat against his skull and then perk up vertical once more.

Because he knows that sound as well as he knows his own face.

The sound is hard to pinpoint, the wind carrying it far beyond its likely location. He roars an answer, listening hard as it bounces around. There is a short pause before a reply comes, this one slightly weaker with a telltale hitch at the end. But he has the location this time. Toothless takes off, galloping through the forest at a reckless speed; heedless of the branches that snap at his face and the trees he only narrowly avoids. He bursts from the forest near the cliff edge and he comes to such an abrupt stop he nearly ends up on his face.  
"Toothless, you're okay!" Astrid is delighted to see him, the relief obvious on her face. She sits comfortably on Stormfly's back, the Nadder calmly preening as though they haven't been gone a week. Sprawled along the cliff edge in a rough line are the rest of the Academy. They all look a little pale, strained like they haven't slept much and even the twins are subdued.  
He's dead, Toothless thinks, and just as he's about to go into an emotional tailspin the likes of which he'd likely never return -  
"Astrid, could you give me a - oof!" A slender frame Toothless would recognise anywhere, previously hidden behind Astrid, topples sideways from Stormfly's back.

And Toothless freezes. He can't move. He's imagined this moment over and over this past week, and now Hiccup is getting up, a bewildered little smile on his face, and Toothless has nothing. This isn't a dream, he knows this. Hiccup is pale and shaky, even thinner than Toothless had thought possible. He looks stretched thin, exactly like a boy recovering from a serious illness might. But there is a twinkle in his eyes Toothless knows, the awkward grin that first inspired Toothless to try "smiling".  
"Hey bud," Hiccup speaks like he would to a wild Dragon, soft and soothing. But it is Hiccup and suddenly the spell is broken. His muscles unlock, and without ever really deciding to move, Toothless covers the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Hiccup ends up on the ground for the second time in as many minutes, and Toothless almost stops to worry he has hurt his human. But Hiccup laughs and wraps those skinny arms around him. It feels like his world snaps back into focus and everything settles. He feels like he's been holding his breath since his boy got sick, and suddenly Toothless can breathe. He presses his nose to Hiccup's chest, feels the fragile heartbeat flutter beneath the boy's ribs. He inhales, and all he smells is leather and the faint undertone of metal, mixed with all the other little things that are uniquely Hiccup.

No ash, no death.

"I'm glad you're okay, buddy. When I woke up…" Hiccup smoothes his hands over Toothless' forehead, feels the trembling of a Dragon pushed to the limit. Distantly, Toothless wonders if Hiccup is referring to the first or second time he woke up. He presses closer and then licks the side of Hiccup's face, making sure to make it extra sloppy. Hiccup makes a disgusted noise and pretends to be upset, but the smile never leaves his face.

Toothless can't talk, but he thinks Hiccup understands the silent me too.

"Not that this isn't totally touching and whatever, but can we go? I haven't slept properly in days! I need my beauty sleep!" Snotlout bemoans loudly, leaning against Hookfang's horns. The boy sighs so long and loud, Toothless thinks its a miracle he doesn't blow himself backwards off his Dragon. With a sigh of his own, Toothless backs away and easily lifts Hiccup to his feet. Fishlegs seems to appear out of nowhere and he grins despite the tears rolling down his cheeks,  
"Welcome back, you guys." He says, dropping a bundle in Hiccup's arms.

The new prosthetic isn't as nice as the one's Hiccup usually makes, likely made in haste by Gobber while Hiccup recovered. It is not as responsive and it certainly doesn't look as nice as the old one. But as Toothless launches into the sky with his best friend on his back, he finds he really can't bring himself to care.

He is whole again.


	9. Epilogue

It is a week since Hiccup recovered from Firevein, the first in Viking history to do so. It is a week and one day since that same boy left Berk on the back of a Nadder, weak and not quite at full strength, and returned on the back of his legendary Nightfury. The resulting celebration lasted a day; the hangovers lasted considerably longer. Toothless is hailed a hero, not for the first time. Hiccup is treated like he is as fragile as the petal of a flower, a fact that annoys him to know end and is utterly inescapable, given that Toothless is the worst offender. Things are almost back to normal, and the scare is almost forgotten.

Almost.

The peace comes to an abrupt end early one morning, the high pitched shriek enough to startle several soundly sleeping Vikings.  
"Hiccup!" The bellow that immediately follows is enough to ensure no one is going back to sleep. Curious heads poke out of windows and doors all over the village, and the sight that meets their eyes is almost enough to have the villagers forgiving the awakening. Snotlout runs in circles around the plaza, with a flamed up Hookfang in hot pursuit, and he is no doubt responsible for the shriek. Stoick stands with arms folded, watching the proceedings with a disapproving scowl; the origin of the bellow, then. The trouble doesn't just start with Snotlout, though he seems to have the worst of it. Astrid tries to coax a shifty looking Stormfly out from where she hides between two buildings, regarding her rider with one baleful eye. Meatlug hovers just above Fishlegs reach, pegging the Viking with an entirely disapproving stare. Barf and Belch lie dozing on the ground; at first, it appears they are giving their riders the least trouble. However, each time Ruff and Tuff attempt to approach their beast, a negligent flick of a two pronged tail sends the twins sailing overhead. The twins think the "game" is so much fun, they have obviously completely forgotten the original purpose.  
"Hiccup, what is going on?" Stoick demands of his son, who watches the chaos with raised brows, Toothless leaning gently against the boy's side.  
"Bath day." Hiccup responds easily, gesturing to the buckets and long handled scrub brushes in the centre of the plaza. Stoick's eyebrows threaten an immediate disappearance into his hairline,  
"Since when do Dragons have a bath day?" He intones, shooting a pointed glance at Hookfang, who is making a serious attempt to light his rider's pants on fire.

"Well, since I got sick. The moss might help to keep the Firemites off the Dragons. If we bathe them regularly with it, then maybe no one else will catch Firevein." Hiccup shrugs uncomfortably, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. He gestures awkwardly to Toothless, and now that Stoick is looking, he can see traces of the moss where it has been rubbed into the Nightfury's scales.

And he wonders why he is surprised that Toothless, of all the Dragons, had been the one to cooperate.

"Well, you're the dragon expert." Stoick finally says, and decides he really doesn't want to see how this all turns out. He'll come back and see how much of the village Hookfang has burned down later; right now, he really just wants breakfast.  
As Stoick takes his leave, Hiccup releases a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.  
"Toothless, think you could help the others out?" He mutters, nodding in the direction of Snotlout and Hookfang. Toothless snorts, but after affectionately headbutting Hiccup's side, he bounds off to corral the errant Nightmare. Surprisingly in the time that Hiccup was conversing with his father, Fishlegs has somehow managed to talk Meatlug down and now the Gronckle unhappily submits to being scrubbed. After a moment, she seems to realise how good the brush is at getting rid of itches and the moss mixture is quickly forgotten.

Meatlug's obvious relish seems to be enough to finally convince Stormfly, and in short order Astrid is managing to apply the moss. Toothless has rescued Snotlout from imminent death by Nightmare fire, but hasn't quite progressed to the bathing stage. Which leaves Hiccup with the twins. The young Viking tries not to sigh as he makes his way over to the pair,  
"Uh, do you two even realise what you're supposed to be doing?" He poses the question with a kind of naive hope.  
"Uh, duh." Ruff responds, rolling her eyes heavenward. Her brother snorts, folding his arms across his chest and looking at Hiccup as though he is the simpleton.  
"Of course! We're...Uh...Don't tell me, don't tell me!" He looks from Hiccup's unimpressed face, to the 'dozing' Zippleback, to the Dragons being scrubbed and finally back at Hiccup again.  
"The Dragons are having a bath!" He exclaims abruptly, and Hiccup's eyes threaten to pop out of his skull.  
"Wow, seriously? First try, too." He responds, impressed despite himself. It doesn't often happen, the twins being right, but he supposes its fair that it has to happen eventually.  
"I was right? I mean, yeah! Right. Of course I was." Tuff nods to himself, apparently answering his own question.  
"Only, we don't bath. Neither do Barf and Belch. It ruins our natural perfume." Ruff informs them all, levelling a disapproving stare at Stormfly and Meatlug.

Hiccup sighs heavily, reaching up to rub at his temples.  
"Or not," He mutters, half glaring between the twins. He waits a moment until their attention drifts back to him before he speaks again.  
"Look, it's important. You have to scrub Barf and Belch down with that," He pauses and points at the buckets Astrid and Fishlegs are using. "So they don't get Firemites, which are dangerous to humans." He continues, trying to keep the explanation as short as possible. The Twins look thoughtful for a moment, looking between each other and Hiccup, and then they shrug. Hiccup waits for the argument, or for them to just simply not get it,  
"Barf! Belch!" The twins shout at the same time, and something in the way they say it seems to work. The Zippleback scrambles to its feet, both heads turned attentively to their respective riders.

Later, Hiccup will be utterly floored by the fact it took so little time to get the twins sorted, compared to Hookfang and Snotlout. He ends up helping them scrub the Zippleback, simply because they keep getting distracted and trying to beat each other with the brushes. His back is turned to the chaos going on with Hookfang, but he trusts Toothless would let him know if things were getting out of hand. Toothless lets out a warning rumble just as someone screams behind him. He feels the heat of a large fire at his back, the crackle of burning wood enough to tell him that he really doesn't want to turn around.

"Hiccup!"

It's going to be a long day. But he (probably) wouldn't trade it for anything else.


End file.
